Overhead door



V. L. HOLMES OVERHEAD DOOR Filed 001;. 27, 1941 Nov. 6, 1945.

2 sheets-sheet 1 7 Nov. 6, 1945.

V. L. HOLMES OVERHEAD DOOR Filed Oct. 27. 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 6, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OVERHEAD DOOR Verne L. Holmes, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application October 27, 1941, Serial No. 416,661

6 Claims.

This invention relates to overhead doors and more particularly to the type of door which is substantially rigid and in closed position is substantially vertical and which moves to overhead substantiall horizontal position when open.

Doors of the foregoing type are ordinarily counterbalanced or supported in such manner that their weight is supported requiring little effort to move the same to their respective positions. In doors of this character wherein the counterbalancing of the door weight is accomplished through the use of springs acting through lever systems, excessively large springs have been required in order to counterbalance the doors throughout their path of movement due to the tendency of such levers to pass center at some points of their travel at which point the maximumspring pressure is required in order to avoid sudden travel or over-balancing of the lever system by the weight of the door.

In doors of this character, the point where the greatest force of the spring or springs are required in order to counterbalance the weight of the doors is ordinarily at the end of the travel of the door to the vertical closed position.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an overhead door construction in which the door is supported to travel to horizontal position and is counterbalanced through the use of lever arms, and wherein means are provided consisting of compensating bars adjustabl nected with the supporting levers for maintaining the application of force of the spring or spring members operable for compensating the weight of the doors at all times in advance of the pivotal connection between the door brackets and the supporting arms.

Another object of this invention is t provide an overhead door construction which includes lever arms by which the doors are pivotally supported and to which lever arms there are secured compensating bars which are adjustably related to the levers and to which compensating bars the spring compensating members are secured in such manner as to maintain application of the spring force upon the same side of the pivotal connection between the supporting levers and the door brackets throughout movement of the door from its horizontal to its vertical position.

Another object of this invention is to provide a construction as hereinabove outlined wherein the compensating bars are provided with means for adjusting their relation to the supporting levers in such manner as to enable adjustment of the application of the spring compensating means to avoid the possibility of bumping of the door when it reaches its final vertical closed position.

Other objects and advantages of this invention it is believed will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the overhead door embodying my invention illustrating the same in position in a structure illustrated fragmentally.

Figure 2 is a fragmental elevation upon an enlarged scale of the door supporting means as illustrated in Figure 1, illustrating the parts in position with the door in its horizontal or open position.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 and illustrating the position of the parts of the door in the vertical or closed position.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmental elevation of the upper supporting structure and track arrangement illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an end elevation of the structure as illustrated in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a fragmental edge elevation of the door supporting structure as illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure '7 is a fragmental elevation of the stop plate and track supporting strap.

Figure 8 is a top plan view of the arm pivot bracket asv illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a modified form of track and track-supporting member embodied in my invention.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, I indicates a door of the rigid type illustrated in the horizontal or open position. The door I is of the type commonly employed as garage or store closure members and is supported upon rollers 2 carried by brackets 3 located at or near the upper ends of the door-I and which are adapted to travel in tracks or guides 4 suitably supported in the structure to which the door is applied in a manner well understood in this art.

Means are ordinarily employed for compensating for the weight of the door I or for counterbalancing the said weight so as to permit the door to be moved with a minimum of effort to the horizontal or open position as illustrated in full lines in Figure 1 from the dotted line position shown in Figure .1.

As herein illustrated, ther is provided within.

porting brackets upon which lever arms 6 pivotally supported upon pivots I. The brackets I, of which there are two, one upon each side or opposite ends pivotally supported on pivots 5 carried by brackets I secured to the lower or outer ends of the door i.

Secured to the supporting frame structure of th garage or building at a position near the upper end of the door opening and to the sides thereof are spring anchor brackets l to which the compensating-springs II are secured. Compensating bars I! are pivotally secured to the ends oi. the levers on pivots i3. These compensating bars are mounted upon the pivots I and are secured at their opposite ends to the connecting links 25 carried by free ends of the compensating springs II.

In order to maintain an adjustable relationship to vary the point of effective application of the spring ll acting upon the lever 6, there is provided on the bar i2 the stop bolt I5, the head 01' which is adapted to engage the connecting link 25. By adjustment of the position of the head I of the stop bolt iii, the degree of out-of-parallel relationshi of the bar 5 and spring ll may be adJusted and maintained. Through the use of this adjustment, the point of connection of the springs II with the compensating bars I! is maintained at all times inside of the pivot 1 so that it is impossible for the point of connection of the spring ll during movement of the door to pass over the center provided by the pivot 1.

Each bracket 5 is provided with a stop plate I! adapted to be engaged by the end of the lever 5 to limit the movement of the levers around their pivotal support I and thus prevent the assumption of a straight line pull by the spring ll between its point of connection ill with the spring-supporting bracket l0 and the pivot I 3 connecting the lever 6 with the compensating bars I2. The stop plates I! are so positioned with relation to the brackets 5 as to engage the edges of the levers 8 as illustrated in Figure 2.

Due to the fact that the rollers 2 will travel in the tracks 4 as carried by the door I, they are located ahead of the pivot 1, the said rollers will rise during the raising of the door from the closed position illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 1 until the rollers are directly above the pivot l3; If means are not provided to permit such rising, the door of course would jam. In order to compensate for this action, two types of means are herein illustrated: as illustrated in Figure 1 where the forward ends of the tracks 4 are curved or, as illustrated in the modified form of Figure 9, the rollers 2 which ride in the tracks I may be carried upon shafts 20 carried by lever arms are force required to compensate for the weight of the door I.

By the use of the compensating bars I2 and the adjustable means provided by the bolts l5 iixed on the levers i, the application of the compensating force of the springs can be adjusted so as to prevent the springs from passing over center,

2| supported in brackets 22 mounted upon the door I and connected with a resilient spring 23 which permits the rollers 2' to move down as the door I moved up. This type of mounting of the rollers 2 permits the use of a straight track 4.

The operation of the overhead door embodying my invention is that by applying the spring compensating force from the springs II at points ahead of the pivot I, there is thereby obtained in effect a shortening of the length of the liftin arm from the pivot point to the fastening at the door. This gives a direct lift ahead of the pivot and decreases the power requisite for raising the door to the open position or reduces the spring which would cause the door to slam in at the bottom. This adjustable means can be so set as to allow the door to settle gently into the closed position and the same action reversed maintains compensation of the weight'of the door accurately so that the door may be easily raised from its closed position. The extra tension induced in the springs I I by the compensating bars acting on the spring on the downward stroke is gradually lessened as the door travels upward toward its open position.

It will be apparent-from the foregoing that the pivot means provided by the bracket 5 is set a suiiicient distance from the rear of the wall to which'it is anchored to permit the passage of the spring arm and spring between the pivot point and the wall.

It will be apparent that any suitable means may be provided for adjusting the tension in the springs ll such, for example, as by using an adjustable fastener such as I--bolts 24 for connecting the upper ends of the springs II to the spring brackets Hi. It is preferable that the springs at their lower ends be connected with the compensating bars through the medium of connecting links 25, and the links 25 may be in turn adjustably connected with the compensating bars l2 at any one of a plurality of connection bolt holes 26.

Having fully described my invention, it is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the details herein set forth, but my invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an overhead door construction, the combination of a rigid vertical door, overhead substantially horizontal guides, means on said door to engage said guides whereby the door is adapted to open from a vertical position into a substantially horizontal overhead position, stationary brackets, lever arms pivotally supported by said brackets, door brackets, pivots connecting the door brackets with the lever arms at points removed from the free ends of the levers, compensating bars connected-to the free ends of the levers, springs anchored at their one ends at points in proximity to the upper end of said door when said door is in its vertical position, means linking the other ends of said springs to the free ends of the compensating bars, and means interposed between the compensating bars and spring linking means whereby the points of effective connection of the springs with the levers is between the door bracket pivot and the door when the door is in both vertical and horizontal positions.

2. In an overhead door construction, the combination of a rigid vertical door, overhead substantially horizontal tracks, rollers carried by the door to ride in the tracks whereby the door is adapted to be opened from a vertical position to a substantially horizontal overhead position, stationary supporting brackets, levers connected between the lower ends of the doors and the stationary brackets, and compensating bars connected with the levers beyond their point of pivotal connection with the stationary brackets, springs connected 1 with the compensating bars and with overhead spring brackets, and means interposed between the compensating bars and the spring connecting means for maintaining the point of connection of the springs with the compensating bars in advance of the point of pivotal connection of the levers with the stationary brackets.

3. In an overhead door construction, the combination of a rigid vertical door, overhead substantially horizontal tracks, rollers carried by the door to ride in the tracks whereby the door is adapted to be opened from a vertical position to a substantially horizontal overhead position, stationary supporting brackets, levers connected between the lower ends of the doors and the stationary brackets, and compensating bars, connected with the levers beyond their point of pivotal connection with the stationary brackets, springs connected with the compensating bars and with overhead spring brackets, means interposed between the compensating bars and the spring connections for maintaining the point of connection of the springs with the compensating bars in advance of the point of pivotal connection of th levers with the stationary brackets, and means whereby the latter said means may be ad- Justed.

4. An apparatus for mounting a door in a door frame for movement between a vertical position, closing said door frame to a horizontal position at the upper side of said door frame, comprising: a pair of overhead tracks extending horizontally from points in proximity to the upper side of said door frame; rollers mounted at the upper corners of said door for suspending said door from said tracks; fixed brackets on the sides 01' said door frames; levers pivotally secured to the normally lower corners of said door and to said brackets for guiding the normally lower end of the door in an are as the upper end of said door travels along said tracks thereby to swing said door from a vertical to a horizontal position; compensating bars rigidly connected to said levers and having free ends located between but oifset laterally from the pivotal axes of said levers; compensating springs anchored in proximity to the upper side of said door frame; link members connecting said springs with said compensating bars to exert a torque on said levers in opposition to the weight of said door: and adjustable stops carried by said compensating bars engageable with said link members to restrain the springs against over-center action.

5. An apparatus for mounting a door in a door frame for movement between a vertical position, closing said door frame to a horizontal position at the upper side of said door frame, comprising: a pair of overhead tracks extending horizontally from points in proximity to the upper side of said door frame; rollers mounted at the upper comers of said door for suspending said door from said tracks; fixed brackets on the sides of said door frames; levers pivotally secured to the normally lower comers of said door and to said brackets for guiding-the normally lower end of the door in an are as the upper end of said door travels along said tracks thereby to swing said door from a vertical to a horizontal position; counterbalance springs; anchor means for the one ends of said springs located in proximity to the upper comers of the door frame; other means fixed to said levers for securing the other ends of said springs between but laterally oifset from a line between the pivotal axes of said levers; and deflector stops engageable with said link members as said door moves into its vertical position to restrain said springs from over-center action.

6. The combination with an overhead door adapted to swing between a vertical position and a horizontal position, wherein the upper end of the door is guided by tracks and rigid arms are attached to the lower edge of the door and are pivotally supported at the sides of the door by brackets, whereby the lower end of the door swings in an are about a fulcrum axis defined by the connections between said rigid arms and brackets, of a counterbalancing means comprising: compensating levers rigidly secured to said rigid arms and traversing said fulcrum axis; springs extending from said compensating levers; anchors for said springs located so as to place the force of said springs in a direction counterbalancing said door; pivotal link bars interposed between said springs and compensating levers; and adjustable stops carried by said compensating 1evers and engageable with said link bars to displace the direction of force of said springs as said door moves to its vertical position thereby to prevent said springs from passing over-center.

VERNE L. HOLMES. 

